It's just not the same when you're staring
Into a perfect golden sunset
And thinking about how you sold your soul
To send the rain away

August 20th , 4PM

The next day I found myself alone in the Burrow reading a copy of Hogwarts: A History that Hermione had loaned to me. Hermione was off working at the ministry as the head of the Department for the Understanding and Advancement of Magical Creatures. Ron left to practice with the Chudley Cannons; he is their Keeper, which Draco explained to me as being the same as a goalie. Mr. Weasley left for the Ministry at the same time as Hermione. Fred and George left early in the morning to open their store in Diagon Alley and Ginny left soon after to help them for the day. Mrs. Weasley left to do some shopping and Draco announced around 2PM that he had some errands to tend to and wouldn't be back until late.

So I was left to my own devices for the afternoon and I plopped down in a chair in the living room and began to read. I was so engrossed in the history of Hogwarts that I didn't even notice when the fire in the fireplace turned green and Severus stepped out.

"Enjoying the book?" Severus asked as he sat down in the chair next to me. I looked up and nodded, flashing him a gigantic smile in the process.

"Very much," I replied, "I can't wait to actually see Hogwarts. I was wondering something though. Why don't we just floo to Hogwarts?" Severus looked at me for a moment and then snatched the book out of my hands. He seemed to examine the cover for a moment before answering.

"This is an old copy of Hogwarts: A History so it's somewhat inaccurate," he stated as he handed the book back to me, "The floo network at Hogwarts stopped working about five years ago."

"What do you mean stopped working? How can it just stop working?" I questioned.

"No one knows," he answered with a shrug, "It happened a couple of years after the staircases stopped moving." I looked back at the book and flipped to the section that dealt with the moving staircases. There was a picture that looked down at the stairs from above and every once in awhile one of them would swing over to connect to a different staircase.

"So the stairs really don't move anymore?" I asked and Severus just shook his head, "Well that stinks. I was really looking forward to seeing that. What else has changed there?" Severus thought for a moment and then grabbed the book back from me.

"Well, the gargoyle to the Headmasters office no longer takes passwords and the steps no longer rotate up from the floor," he explained, "Also, the Room of Requirement stopped showing up seventeen years ago."

"So you're telling me all the things that make Hogwarts amazing aren't working anymore?" I asked in disappointment. Severus appeared to be offended.

"Hogwarts is still amazing," he replied shortly, "If moving staircases and rooms that appear out of nowhere are the only thing you find amazing then I truly feel sorry for you."

"I didn't mean it that way," I said with a frown, "I only meant that it would've been nice to be able to see Hogwarts the way my Dad saw it." Severus smiled sadly at me.

"Your Father truly loved Hogwarts," he said quietly, "But he didn't love it because of the parlor tricks that it could do, he loved it because it was his home." He reached over to me and gave my hand a light squeeze.

"I suppose so," I said sadly, "It's too bad that he couldn't have seen Hogwarts before he died. Maybe if he would've gone back there even once he could've been happy at least for a moment." Severus frowned and shook his head.

"Hogwarts was his home but he wasn't always happy there," he explained, "The emotions he felt for Hogwarts were the same as any other child would feel for their home. Can you honestly say you were always happy at your home or that returning there always made you feel secure and content?" I couldn't help but grimace at some of my memories of my own home.

"Hogwarts has always been my home also," he continued, "So I can understand how Harry felt for the most part but not completely. Hogwarts was a place where I could go to escape my own horrible home life much like Harry escaped his own but for Harry it was also a place where he could feel comfortable being a wizard. At Hogwarts he could practice magic and talk about magic without being labeled as a freak." My face paled and my body shook as I was pulled once more into memories of my father.

"I can't believe you Dad," I spat, "You'd think if you really loved and cared for me you'd be able to tell me the truth." Father's eyes met mine from across the kitchen table, a look of anger but also sadness on his face.

"Jenny," he said softly, "I don't want to even think about my past, let alone talk about it. Why can't you just leave it at that?" There was a loud bang as I slammed one fist down onto the kitchen table and Father drew back from the table slightly.

"Damn it Dad!" I yelled, "I'm sick of this. I want to know where I came from, where you came from, please just tell me? I've seen the paintings in your workroom and I know things must've been bad but maybe things will get better if you would just talk to someone." Father's expression turned into one of complete fury.

"How dare you!" he yelled back at me, "How dare you invade my personal space! You know my workroom is off limits!" I cringed for a moment. I knew that the subject of his paintings would be a sore spot, especially when he found out that I had snuck in to look at them without his permission. After years of living with my father I knew that privacy was one of the most important things to him. My anger soon returned however when I thought about all of the things he was keeping hidden from me.

"I don't care," I hissed, "I'm sick of secrets." His face paled and he reached a hand across the table to touch my own. I pulled back quickly as his skin met mine and glared at him heatedly.

"Don't touch me," I spat as he reached for my hand once more, "You know what James," I sneered his name and even the small tears that were forming in his eyes could not stop my ranting, "I don't think I even know who you are and further more I'm starting to believe that everyone in town is right about you."

"What do you mean?" He questioned, the tears were now beginning to roll down his cheeks but in my madness I barely noticed.

"You are a freak," I said irately and then stomped out of the kitchen, through the living room and then out the front door. As I sped away from the house with my car stereo blaring I had no idea that it would be the last time I would ever see my father alive.

"My God," I whispered, "I called him a freak."

"What was that Jenny?" Severus asked, "I couldn't quite hear you." He leaned closer to me but when he saw the tears beginning to fall from my eyes he quickly got up to kneel in front of me. "What is it Jenny? What's wrong?"

"I called him a freak," I whispered again and Severus gasped, he had definitely heard me this time.

"I'm sure he knew you didn't mean it," he replied.

"No Severus, you don't understand," I whispered much louder this time, "It was the last thing I said to him." Severus watched me for a moment longer until I regained control of myself somewhat.

"Why don't you tell me what happened," he said and then waited to see if I would reply. I nodded my head and looked up to meet his eyes. He seemed to be truly worried.

"We were fighting about his past again," I said with a sob, "We always fought about that same thing, it was always about his damned past. I could never just let it rest." I sobbed once more and Severus pulled me into a hug.

We sat like that for a long time, Severus kneeling in front of me while I leaned on him, my tears soaking through his robes and onto his skin. It couldn't have been very comfortable for him yet he did not complain and he did not push me away. He sat there holding me until I felt comfortable enough to lean back and release him. He looked at me for a moment, his eyes searching mine as if he wanted to be truly sure that I would be alright and then he swiftly got up and headed to the kitchen. He returned a moment later with a glass of water in his hand which he offered to me. I took it from him gratefully with no words needed. He gave a slight nod before heading back to his own chair and sitting down once again.

Everything in the house was silent once again. Severus flipped through the newest issue of Potions Monthly while I became engrossed in Hogwarts: A History once again. We were both startled an hour later when Draco came bursting through the fireplace clutching a long package wrapped in brown paper. He brushed the soot from his robes quickly and walked over to stand in front of me, a catlike grin on his face. Severus eyed him suspiciously.

"Draco, what have you been up to?" Severus asked warily. Draco continued to grin like a maniac.

"Just running a little errand Sev, nothing important," he replied and his grinned widened further. Severus continued to keep an eye on Draco but my attention had been drawn to the wrapped package that he was holding behind his back.

"What's that you've got behind your back?" I asked curiously. Draco ignored my question and instead looked pointedly at Severus.

"Nothing special," he said with mock innocence, "just something that your father left in my care before he left. I remembered it this morning and thought it might be best to give it to you." Severus gasped and I knew immediately that he had some clue as to what was in the package.

"It can't be," Severus whispered, "Is it?" Draco nodded wildly.

"It is just that dear Severus," he said with a smile as he handed the package to me. I eyed it nervously before untying the strings holding the wrapping in place. It seemed to be cylindrical and the package was at least as long as the couch. As I finally pulled away the last of the brown wrapping my eyes widened in surprise.

There in my lap sat a broomstick but it was surely no regular broomstick. It seemed to be in excellent condition as if someone had taken great care polishing the handle and keeping every bristle in place. At the tip of the broomstick the words Firebolt were engraved with Harry Potter written underneath in gold letters.

"This was my father's broom?" I asked, still quite amazed, "It looks as good as new." Draco blushed and became very interested in the floor near his feet.

"Well," he answered softly, "I tried to take good care of it because I knew he'd want it back someday."

"But still," I said, "it barely looks like he even used it much." Severus stood up and headed to the kitchen without a word and Draco replaced him in the chair across from me. His eyes were slightly glistening as if they were wet. I leaned the broom next to my chair and tried to pay attention to Draco while keeping one eye on the Firebolt.

"He stopped using it after fifth year," he explained, "it was a gift from his Godfather and he wanted to make sure that nothing ever happened to it. Besides," he added, "during seventh year he had a broom specially made for him."

"Specially made?" I asked.

"Yep," he replied, "it was called the Lightning Bolt. It was created by some up and coming inventor and Harry was the first one to get one and he was the only one to have one for over a year. They sold like crazy after he defeated the Dark Lord. I wonder whatever happened to that guy..." his voice trailed off until I could no longer understand him.

"What guy?" I asked.

"The inventor," said Draco, "he disappeared around the same time as Harry. I still can't remember his name," he added, "I do remember that it was something horribly ordinary."

"Were he and Harry close?" I asked. Draco shook his head.

"Not to my knowledge," he answered, "but it did seem quite odd how they both disappeared around the same time. It's too bad actually, all that money with nowhere to go."

"What did they do with all the money from the broom sales then?" I asked just as Severus walked into the room, a tray of sandwiches balanced precariously in his hands.

"No one's sure," interrupted Severus, I assumed he had been listening to our conversation from the other room, "but it's rumored that it's kept in a vault at Gringott's under no name."

"Under no name?" I questioned, "That doesn't even make sense. How would the bank know who the money was for then?" Draco and Severus shared a look before Draco replied with a slight grimace.

"Blood."

"What do you mean blood?" I asked.

"The goblins can open the vault using the intended person's blood," Severus explained.

"That's a little gruesome," I replied with a grimace, "But how do the goblins know whose blood to use?" I asked.

"No one knows," Severus answered, "We can only assume that the intended person knows of the vault and will someday come to claim it." We all sat and ate the sandwiches that Severus had made, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

"So neither one of you remembers what the inventor's name was?" I questioned. Draco shook his head but Severus seemed to think about the question for a moment.

"I can't recall what his last name was," said Severus, "but I seem to remember his first name beginning with a 'C'." Draco seemed to perk up and added, "Now I remember, it was Charles something. Still can't remember the last name though," he mumbled. We sat in silence once again and suddenly thoughts began to pop into my head.

"For some reason he seemed to be worried about passing away at a young age and I didn't argue with him, to each his own as I like to say."

No, it couldn't be, could it?

"The point is that he left in my possession a key and an address for a storage garage in New York. I was told that were anything to happen to him I was to give this information to either his wife or his child."

He seemed so nervous and anxious about Father's death.

"I will see to things here until you get back."

There was just no way that it could be him.

"James was a good man and I always wished that he would've let me get to know him better but I am glad that he let me know him at all."

It had to be him.

"Please give me a call if you end up being gone more than a month won't you?"

"Smith," I whispered very quietly. Draco seemed to hear me though and he snapped his fingers excitedly.

"That's it!" he exclaimed, "Charles Smith." He seemed to be very pleased that the mystery was solved but Severus, on the other hand, just stared at me in confusion.

"How did you know?" Severus asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Just a lucky guess," I replied and then took another bite of my sandwich. Severus raised an eyebrow, Draco grabbed another sandwich, and not another word was said on the subject.